Page 122 of Not Just a Trick Play

“Amelia.” I knit the fingers of our tethered hands, the metal clanging with the motion.

“Jake—” Her breath’s a whisper now.

“I love you. Where you go, I go. Back to Fordwich, off to wherever your next adventure takes you, to hell and beyond. I’m with you.” My voice cracks and dies. Shit. Words aren’t usually such a challenge. I avert my eyes, and concentrate on our joined grip. “Seriously, what the hell were you thinking?” I grumble.

She inhales shakily, and then the fingertips of her free hand press into the curve of my jaw, tilting my head up to hers. “That I love you, too,” Amelia says quietly. “And I’m not leaving.”

My breath stops. Maybe my heart. Disbelief must be painted all over my face.

“I’m not,” she repeats in a rush, as if to cement her resolve. “I’m not going home. I mean, I’m not going back to England. I’m staying here. In this home. With you?”

That the last part comes out a question at all has emotion clogging my throat. I can only answer by brushing my mouth over hers. Cradling her head with my free hand, I tug her to me. “Sweets…” I falter. I shut my eyes and press our foreheads together, the familiar scent of her grounding me as I let her words sink in, their liquid warmth draining the tension out of me.

When I manage to speak, my tone is husky. “And your grandmother? The inn?”

“I told Gran I wasn’t taking over the inn. Then called Gotham Guides and practically browbeat them into reconsidering an investment in RhythmRoutes. They’re thinking about it. But no matter what happens, I’ll sort it out.”

I pull back and open my eyes to a new steel in her gaze. God, she’s gorgeous. “Thank fuck. I was about to pack up and follow you.”

“You were?” My pulse stumbles, an ache blooming in my chest.

Her arms, bent at the elbows, frame her surprised face. I bracket them with my own forearms, and swing over her, careful to keep my full weight off her. “You didn’t think I’d give up on you so soon, did you?”

Slowly, she smiles. The slight arc makes my breath hitch and my heart feel like it might burst through my ribs.

Amelia’s free fingers tangle into my hair, and she pulls me close and fuses our lips together. Shockwaves ripple down to my toes.

I go deep, licking into her. She’s intoxicating. Addictive. Sweet. Mine. She’s kissing me just as hungrily, and I’m about lose my mind.

My hand glides down her back until I’m cupping her ass, drawing her closer. I kiss the edge of her jaw and nuzzle along her neck, lingering there for a moment to feel her pulse beneath my mouth then ghost down over a laced-encased tip.

I return for a quick nip before dragging one bra strap off her shoulder with my teeth then the other. Once the lace clears her breasts, I swoop in to take a nipple between my lips.

A little whimper escapes her as I suck at the perfect peak, and the sound has my skin prickling. I’ll do it forever to keep hearing it. I’ve got time.

She rocks against me, and I skim down her satiny torso, nipping and tasting as I go, her ribs, her navel, until I reach the spot right above her thong. And then my mouth’s hovering just over the heat of her, wrapped in more pretty red packaging.

I look up.

The open expression in her eyes slays me, and I swallow.

Her thighs part at my unspoken prompt, and I hook my free thumb under the damp lace gusset and tug it aside, so she’s bared to me, all pink and puffy and perfect. Her handcuffed hand tangles in my hair, pulling mine along to rest on her belly.

I stay locked on her as I lower my head and take a delicate lap of the sensitive bud. She gasps, and I hum in pleasure in response. Delicious. Sweet and salty and sexy.

I lick at the stiff little nub again, flick it with my tongue, and she shudders, letting out an impatient whimper, so needy for me. She moans as I suck it into my mouth, and when she writhes against me, it’s a struggle not to thrust into her there and then, but I relish the knowledge I’ll be able to do this until the end of time.

Under my lips, her body trembles, little gasps leaving her as she lifts her hips for more. I work that spot within her I know drives her wild, taking my time, loving how greedy she is for me.

“Jake, please,” she breathes, her voice shaking.

She’s close. So close. One last lap and she seizes, a wordless cry tearing from her as she arches, her grip tightening in my hair as she comes, “Jake!”

I knit our fingers and surge back up to taste my name on her lips. It’s fucking heaven. Her hold on me tightens, and the metal rings locking us together clink.

I need my hands on her, everywhere. This time, nerves don’t have me fumbling, and with a slick move, I pop the cuffs free.

Amelia’s eyes blink open in shock. “Wait. How did you do that?”

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